Mending Broken Wounds
by Jedi
Summary: Re-write of part of Tenchi Muyo:Daughter of Darkness. Hope you all like it.


Mending Open Wounds  
by Jedi-Ohki  
  
Disclaimer - I don't own Tenchi Muyo! or any one of the characters, Pioneer and AIC do, so  
don't sue me, please, I'm low on cash as it is. I'm not making money, I'm just having fun.  
  
Author's Pre-Notes - I like re-writes, so here is another one. It's from the movie Daughter  
of Darkness, the changes don't come until about two thirds of the way through this fic, and   
you'll know what the changes are. Oh, and I don't plan on continuing it, unless you really  
want me to. If I did continue it, the fic would last to the end of the movie. Hope you like  
it, on with the fic!  
  
  
"Bon Apetite!"   
  
The entire Masaki extended family was sitting at the dinner table, minus Mayuka, who was no  
where to be found, thanks to Ryoko, and Washu, who was studying Mayuka's genetic makeup,   
Tenchi's new 'daughter.' Sasami had outdone herself again with a vegetarian feast in honor  
of the 'Spirit's Homecoming Day.'  
  
"I sure hope that Mayuka is alright," Tenchi said, lost in thought, with his chopsticks in   
his hand. "Are you sure she was ok when you left her, Ryoko?" he asked of the demon slash  
space pirate.  
  
"Yes," Ryoko said, exasperated. "How many times are you going to ask me this, Tenchi?"  
  
"Grandfather's out searching for her, if anyone can find her, he will," Nobuyuki said   
through a full mouth.  
  
Tenchi looked at the table, his eyes partially narrowed, not in anger, but in worry.   
"Maybe, but I'm going to look for her myself," he said, getting up from the table.  
  
"Alright," Tenchi's dad said, and Ryoko cut in.   
  
"You're wasting time, she'll come back here when she feels like it." She had her eyes   
closed, obviously hoping Mayuka wouldn't come home. Tenchi turned around.  
  
"Huh, how do you know?" he asked Ryoko.  
  
"You said that she was just bothering you anyway, so why are you all worried about her now?"   
Ryoko said, not moving.  
  
"Because she could be in trouble, Ryoko!" Tenchi said, his face conveying the fact that he  
was truely concerned about Mayuka's well being, wether she be his real daughter or not.   
"What if she's gotten lost? Don't you even feel a little sorry for her?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Sorry?!" Ryoko said, getting up quickly and turning around, looking Tenchi in the eyes.   
"Look, she may have you fooled, Tenchi, but she is up to something and I'm not falling for  
it!"  
  
A soft, well, cultured voice spoke up from the table. It was Ayeka. "I don't know, Ryoko,   
she's strange, but there's something sweet about her too. I don't know what to think."  
  
"Tenchi!" Yosho called from the entryway to the Masaki household, the door sliding open and   
shut. "Are you there?" Everyone looked up, and Tenchi raced towards the door.  
  
Yosho was standing there with Mayuka, who looked definately tired and worn out. Yosho was   
wearing a smile and his normal shrine robes. "Guess where I found here? On top of a cedar  
tree! She was crying her eyes out! Its ok now, dear," he said, putting his hand on her   
shoulder. "You're among friends now."  
  
"I'm so glad you're ok, Mayuka!" Tenchi said, and Sasami, Mihoshi and Kiyone(A/N:why is   
Kiyone in this movie?) all rushed to the entryway to greet Mayuka. Maykua took one look at  
them, and her eyes narrowed, she kicked off her shoes and ran into the dinning room. Mayuka   
grabbed Ryoko bye the shoulder straps on her shirt, and shook her.   
  
"What is your problem?!? Trying to do away with me?!?" she screamed, slapping Ryoko.  
  
"Yes! That is exactly what I'm trying to do! You are in my way! Get it?" Ryoko screamed  
back, pushing Mayuka, causing her to fall. Tenchi ran up to her, and tried to help her up.  
"Are you alright?" he asked.  
  
Ryoko pulled Mayuka upright before Tenchi could and shook her. "Stop! tenchi yelled,   
getting in between the fighting girls, trying to stop their antics, but Ryoko just kept on  
pushing, trying to get at Mayuka.  
  
Ryoko was pushed away by Tenchi, and she pointed at Mayuka, who was hiding behind his back.  
"Tenchi, that girl came here to destroy you!" She said, almost yelling. "I'm trying to   
protect you since you're so clueless when it comes to women! Tenchi!"  
  
"Stop it Ryoko!" he yelled, slapping her right on the cheek. Everyone in the room gasped,   
minus Mayuka.  
  
"Tenchi..." Ryoko said, one hand on her face where Tenchi had slapped her. She looked up at  
him with disbelief marking her entire face. 'Why would he hit me? Does he really hate me  
like he said he did when I ripped his mom's kimono? Tenchi!' Ryoko mentally screamed,   
asking for forgiveness, aceptance, and above all, love.  
  
Tenchi looked at his hand, closing his eyes, not believing what he himself had just done.   
"I'm sorry. Listen, I don't know the truth about Mayuka yet, I don't know hwat brought her  
here to our house, or where she's from, I'm in the dark like you, but I'm willing to accept   
her." said Tenchi to Ryoko. "Do you want to know why, Ryoko? Because everyone of you   
arrived here just the way she did. Its true, isn't it, remember?"  
  
Ayeka let out a little sigh, and Mayuka said, "Daddy?"  
  
Tenchi turned around, smiling at Mayuka, saying, "I'm sorry, Mayuka, you call me your father   
but how can I believe that when there's no evidence and you don't have clear memories?"  
  
"Wha?" Mayuka said, before Tenchi cut in. "It's just a fantasy you have, Mayuka. For me,   
you're just like any of the other girls in the house." Mayuka looked down, letting out a   
little sad sigh, and Tenchi spoke up again. "Hey there, that means you're important, just  
like them."  
  
"Yah," Ryoko's now sad, quiet voice spoke up. "Right. Except for Ryoko, who's just in the  
way." She moved upwards and disappeared.  
  
Tenchi just looked once at the empty space where Ryoko was, than he headed upstairs to his  
room, locking the door with an audible click.   
  
Several hours later, When everyone was asleep, Tenchi snuck out of his room. He went down  
to the living room, hoping to find Ryoko. He looked up at the empty rafter, finding no one.  
'Where could she be? I have to find her," he resolved, then put on his shoes and walked   
outside quietly.  
  
Ryoko was sitting on the roots of Funaho, crying quietly, when her great hearing picked up  
the door sliding open and shut. She looked towrads the house, and instead of seeing Yosho  
or Ayeka, as she thought, she saw Tenchi. Her heart lept, but then settled down to a new  
low. 'He's going to tell me how much he hates me and wants me to go, I just know it,' she   
thought. 'I wonder where I would go? Would I leave? No, I could never leave Tenchi's side   
for long.' While she was thinking this, Tenchi had already got to the pond, and was walking  
across the stepping stones. Ryoko swirled one of her fingers in the calm water aimlessly,  
forgetting that Tenchi was there, when he said, "Ryoko."  
  
Ryoko looked up, and quickly looked down again. "Get away. I don't want to even see you."  
She said it with so much venom that Tenchi almost took a step back, but instead, he sat down  
next to her, and put his arm around her waist. This surprised Ryoko to no ends, and just as  
she was going to ask what he was doing, he spoke up.  
  
"Ryoko, I truely am sorry for what happened today. I take full responsibility for it, and   
if you hate me, you can leave, but you must understand that I will never again hurt you in   
any way."  
  
"Tenchi..." Ryoko whispered. She immediately changed her tone to one that was hurt and   
vulnerable. "But Tenchi, you hurt me every second, every minute, every day!"  
  
Tenchi looked at her in surprise, wondering what could hurt her so often, so much. It   
immediately came to him. 'She needs me to love her,' he thought. 'But I don't know who I   
love...' His thought train sped off, and he looked at each of the girls in his mind, when   
he realized that Ryoko had her head on his shoulder crying softly into it. His heart ached  
to comfort her, and he instantly knew why he could only do things like this with Ryoko.   
"Ryoko?"  
  
Ryoko looked up, fearfully, making Tenchi's heart hurt more to see her frightened. "You   
will never be hurt again by me, as I said," he spoke softly into her ear, caressing her   
hair. a second later, Ryoko reached her arm across Tenchi's waist and hugged him. A true  
hug, not her usual glomping. He returned it, taking in her sweet cherry blossom smell.  
  
"Tenchi," Ryoko said in a barely audible whisper, "I thought you might want to know...that  
I, I, I love you. Every little bit of me loves you, its the only reason I keep on going,   
the knowledge that you still haven't completely broken my heart."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Ryoko, you don't have to worry anymore." he whispered back, then   
pulled her head away from his shoulder. "I love you."  
  
Ryoko looked at him in disbelief, waiting for those 3 simple words to register in her brain,  
and then her mouth was transformed into a brilliant smile, and her amber eyes shone out in   
the darkness, as Tenchi brought her face to hers, embracing in a magnificent kiss, which  
emptied Ryoko's body of all fear and yearning, filling her with love and passion, as her   
greatest dream had just come true. It was nothing less for Tenchi, as his dream had also   
come true, he no longer had to deal with Ryoko and Ayeka fighting over him, and he could   
finally embrace Ryoko like he had always wanted to.   
  
When they pulled apart several minutes later, stood there, her arms around Tenchi's waist as   
his were around her waist, and just smiled her second true smile for about 2000 years, as   
her first had been moments before. Tenchi just smiled back at her, savoring the moment,   
knowing it would end as soon as Ayeka learned of their love for each other.  
  
It was Ryoko who broke the long silence. "Tenchi, could we go to sleep now? I'm really   
tired," she said, emphasizing her point by yawning loudly, and Tenchi yawned in return,   
catching it from Ryoko.   
  
"That sounds like a marvelous idea, Ryoko. Will you be staying with me?" He asked,   
surprising even himself with his boldness.  
  
Ryoko looked at him in surprise, then a huge smile spread over her face, not a seductive   
smile, but a genuine smile. "Yes, Tenchi. I would love to," she whispered into his ear.  
She touched his shoulder, and teleported them to his room. Tenchi put on his night clothes,  
consisting of a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, and Ryoko phased into like clothing. They   
both slid under the covers, and embraced, kissing one more time.  
  
"Good night, my Ryoko," Tenchi whispered, closing his eyes and driftin off to sleep   
immediately.  
  
"Goodnight, my Tenchi," Ryoko replied, finally feeling safe, sure that no nightmares of her  
past would haunt her this night.  
  
Author's Post-Notes:Ah, I thought this was good, as it kept my mind off the fact that my   
favorite character died in "Star by Star," part of the New Jedi Order series of Star Wars,   
and they left his girl completely heartbroken I'm guessing, and I'm about 100% sure they   
won't bring him back. Fuck the damn author. Now I'm in a horrid mood. They should refrain   
from killing characters so vital to the story line cough*CHEWBACCA*cough. And now they had   
to kill my favorite character still alive, and then my favorite politician in the books   
commited suicide and wiped out about 25,000 Yuuzhan-Vong(sp?), god, I quit. Sorry about the  
ranting, if anyone feels the same, please contact me some how. Email:JediGotenks0@aol.com,   
AIM: JediGotenks0, MSN:JediGotenks0@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading, R&R!  
/me glares at Troy Denning, sending him scurrying up a nearby tree.  
-Jedi 


End file.
